Printing press



April 20 1926.

R. R. M CORMICK PRINTING PRESS 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Sept. 2, 1924 00 cc o 00 April 20,1926. 1,581,132

R. R. M CORMICK PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 2, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 20 ,1926. 1,5&1,13Z

R. R. MCCORMICK PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 2, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

ROBERT E. IvIOGORHIGK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRINTING PRESS.

Application filed September 2, 1924. Serial No. 735,269.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. McCon- MICK, a citizen of the United States, residin in Chica o, in the county of Cook and tate oflllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a press for printing newspapers and the like, and more particularly'to a novel arrangement of printing units and web associating mechanism, for effecting practically any desired association of printed pages with the possible utilization at all times of the maximum number of printing couples under all the variant associations or" the ages.

Heretotore, ma the operation oi presse for printing newspapers, uncalled for losses have been occasioned by'the enforced idle ness t certain of the printing couples or units when it became necessary to print sections or parts of the paper containing a ditterent number of pages than usual. This was due to the fact that the separate presses in the room were disposed in isolated groups and were not arranged so that the webs irom the rinting couples or units of each press could be associated with each other. ltnother words, each press was capable of printing its own capacity of pages and could not be increased beyond that.

One of the objects of my invention resides in roviding a press comprising a plurality o printing and folding units arranged on a common horizontal plane or printing level, the printing units heingsuitably spaced apart in a single, relatively long, llne or row, whereby to provide accessibility and facility in the printing and folding operations, and the printing and folding units being arranged in such a man nor that the printing units may be associated in various arrangements including octuples,

decuples and double sextuples with the utilization of the maximum number of printing and folding units under all con ditions of association.

A further feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of a relatively large number of printing couples such as thirty couples, in a single row and on a common printing level on a supporting trance, and in the disposition of the folders in the printing level intermediate certain oi the printing couples, together with guide rolls where- 'ples can be associated selectively on the upper or lower pair-of formers or on both of said pairs of formers. This arrangement is particularly advantageous in that it permits great flexibility of the pa eassociations from. the various. units w ich is essential to the every day demands on the press because of the constantly changing associationsbeing printed on the same press for the ditlerent issues and editions of the paper. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from a perusal of the followin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a rather diagrammatic View of the complete flexible unit press, showing the printing couples and folders arranged'to associate the units in octuples.

Figure 2, is a Similar view of the press showing the conversion or rearrangement of the units and associating devices for printing in decuples.

Figure 3 is still another arrangement showing the associating mechanism ar ranged to print in double sextuples.

Figure t shows the flexibility of the press "for various arrangements. 7

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of that portion of the press shown in Figural dlSClOu" ing the first octuple.

Figure 6 is a similar view disclosing the diversion of a portion at the webs from the couples to the upper former of the inter mediate folding mechanism.

And, Figures 7 and 8 are rather diagrammatic disclosures of the arrangement of the upper and lower formers and folders.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the press comprises the relatively long frame or support upon which. the printing coupies or units and associatingdevices including the folders and guide rolls are mounted. As shown clearly in Figure 5, the main trams is preferably supported in elevated position to provide a separate level specification when taken in 1 inc Elli) web supply rolls 51. The frames 52 for the printing couples 53, and the driving mechanism 54 therefore are mounted on top of the main frame 50. At desired locations, longitudinally of the frame 50, suitable frames 52 support folding mechanisms or units including pairs of formers. The folding units are arranged in line with the printing units and are suitably spaced apart therefrom to provide accessibility. These frames 52 and other suitable frames extend upwardly as at 57,- to support feed rolls 55, and formers 56 which are arranged over the lower pair of formers. The upstandin frame extensions 5? also provided with angle bars and other usual feeding devices. By means of this arrangement, the printing and folding units, are disposed in a single or common printing level so that a sin is press crew canhandle the printing and fo dmg operations.

In the present invention, the referred practical arrangement for provi ing -fienibilty consists in disposing at least thirty printingcouples or units 53 in series or tandem longitudinally on the support 50. The cylinders are 7 preferably. double width so that with the full wide web, each couple is capable ofprintin sixteen pages, preferably two sets of eig t pages each. Other arrangements and narrower webs, are, however, within the contemplation of the, invention. The folding mechanisms are disposed to 0 rate intermediate certain of these printing units, and the most practical disposition is that shown in the drawin' wherein it will be noticed that the first fol ing mechanism is located between the third and fourth printing units or couples; the second folding mechanism is located between the nint and, tenth printing couples; the third folding mechanism is located between the twelfth and thirteenth printing couples; the fourth folding mechanism is located between the fifteenth and sixteenth printing couples; the. fifth folding mechanism is located between the eighteenth and nineteenth printing couples; the sixth folding mechanism 18- located between the twenty-first and twenty-second printing couples, and the seventh folding mechanism is' located between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth printi couples or units.

In order to supply t ese printing couples with paper, the web supply rolls 51 are arranged substantially beneath the printing couples, there being thirty of them, one set for each couple, and any desired arrangement of guide rolls 58 is provided on the frame 50 for directing the webs from the supply rolls to the printing couples. The control mechanism 54 for independently controlling the driving operation of each set of printing couples is also mounted on the frame 50. Inasmuch asthis driving" mechanism forms no partof the present in vention other than as a means to independently connected or disconnect any desired printing couple, it is not shown in detail.

It must be manifest from an understanding of the foregoing and a study of the drawings, that the press is capable of printing various associations of pages. For instance, in Figure l the webs are directed and associated for printingwith theunits arranged in octuples, there being seven of such octuples. In this arrangement the first printing couple is thrown out of operation. An inspection of Figure 5 will reveal in greater detail the direction and paths of the webs from the various couples and the particular guide rolls which are used for the octuple arrangement of the units. The guide rolls 60 assist in directing the web from the supply rolls to the printing cylinders so that the direction of travel of the web to the printing cylinders may be reversed. The two paths of travel of the paper web are disclosed in Figure l of the drawings, for instance, see printing couples two and seventeen. In Figure 5 it will be noticed that the webs from ail of the couples are directed by the guide rolls to the lower pair of formers of folding mechanism 1. Thus, in the preferred arrangement, folding mechanism 1 associates per revolution, two com lete papers having two sections, both sections being composed of thirty-two pages.

From an inspection of Figure 6 it will be-manifest that other page associations can be obtained when the units are arranged in octuple. Here the webs. from couples two and three are directed by the upper guide;

rolls, to the upper pair of formers of fold- .ing mechanism. 1 and the webs from the couples four and five are directed, as in Figure 5, to the lower pair of formers of folding mechanism 1. In this modified arrangement, four sections of eight pages each are associated. It must be obvious that practicall any other associations both with double wide cylinders and webs and narrower cylinders and webs are capable of being effected, with the use of these twentyeight operative printing couples; it being remembered that two of the printing couples or units are idle in this arrangement.

The printing couples and folders are also capable of being arranged as set forth in Figure 2. Here the units are printing and associatin as decuples there being six decuples. Al thirty of the printing couplesare now used. In this arrangement fold- 1 ing mechanism number four is idle. But all of the printing units are operative.

' In the decuple arrangement, with double wide cylinders and double wide webs, each decuple is capable of printing two complete papers of forty pages each per revolution. The pages can be associated as two sections of twenty pages each or any four page variation thereof. With one-half and three fourths wide webs any two page or combined two and four page variation can be delivered. This arrangement can be secured because the pages are printed two on, which means that each type cylinder duplicates the type impression or prints two sets of four pages each. In this way a two page variation can be obtained. I

Figure 3 shows still another disposition of the associating means and units, to print and associate as double sextuples, that is,

withforty-eiglit pages to a delivery. This is the maximum number of pages whichthe cutting mechanism can operate successfully upon and is hence the practical associating limit ofthe press in so far as the cutting only is concerned. It will be noticed in the arrangement shown in Figure 3, that all the printing units are operative but that folding mechanisms number three and five are idle. It is clear that with these arrangements disclosed in Figures 2 and 3 the webs can likewise be directed so as to fold over either the upper or lower pairs of formers or over both as illustrated in Figure 6. The superimposed arrangement of formers and folders permits of great flexibility of association and adaptability with regardto inter folding of the sections from the units.

In the double sextuple arrangement disclosed in Figure 3, one double sextuple is capable of printing, per revolution, two complete papers of forty-eight pages each or in two sections of twenty-four pages each, or these forty-eight pages can be associated in sections with variations of four pages, if upper formers are used, such for instance as three sections folded together, two sections'containing twenty pages each and the third section containing eight pages. Or there can be four interfolded sections of twelve pages each or three of sixteen. The manner of folding together three or four sections of a paper is diagrammatically illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings, wherein the cut webs A, B, O and D from the printing units are conducted to the upper and lower formers 56 and are thence all folded together by the suitable folding mechanism. It is manifest that with one-half wide webs any variation of two pages or combinations of two and four pages can be associated.

Still another illustration of the flexibility of the press is disclosed in Figure 4 of the drawings wherein the units of the press are arranged in aggroupments of variant numbers of printing units each. Others still are possible.

From the foregoing description it must be clear that by thus providing a press comprised of such a series of units, in succession in a single line and with the folding mechanism thus disposed-intermediate predetermined couples, a new flexible type of press is provided which assures the maximum utility of the various printing couples,

and practically any desired combination of units and the association of any practical number of page ngle press; that with this disposition Ln the cylinders of the printing couples so that their axes lie transverse to the length of the press and the arrangement of the foldingmechanism in the longitudinal line of the units, the need for the usual angle bars is eliminated; that with this arrangement of the printing units and the upper and lower pairs of formers and the folders therefor any desired 'interfolding of sections can be secured, such as the folding together of three or four sections, and any variation in the number of pages to a section can be produced. It will be noted from the drawings that by means of my construction none of the webs passing from the printing units of any particular group to the folding unit of such group are compelled to pass across any other folding unit. Other valuable and practical features and advantages of this new arrangement will be obvious to those skilled in the art. And it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the exact details of construction or arrangement set forth in the drawings because such drawings are merely used as illustrative and not restrictive of the broad principles of the new features of construction and operation herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flexible unit press comprising a row of printing units accessibly arranged in spaced apart-relation on the same printing level, a web su ply for each unit, a plurality of folding umts disposed on said printing level, said folding units being s aced apart and disposed relatively to said printing units so that the line of printing units is selectively divisible into a succession of equal groups of four, or five, or six printing units, each selected group containing but a single folding unit and all of the printing umts of a group of an selected series of groups feeding their webs to the folding unit of that group. I

2. A flexible unit press comprising a single row of printing and folding units accessibly arran ed in spaced apart relation on the same printing level, a web supply for each rinting unit, said folding umts being distri utively arranged in said line and between said printing units so that the line of printing units is selectively divisible into a succession of equal groups of four, or five or six printing units, each selected group containing but a single folding unit and all of the printing units of a group of any selected series; of groups feeding their webs to the folding unit of that group whereby no web from a printing unit is compelled to travel across an idle folding unit.

3. A flexible-press for printing newspapers and the like comprising a supporting frame, thirty printing couples spaced thereon with their cylinders disposed transversely of and in a single row longitudinally of the frame and in a common plane, a plurality of folding mechanisms disposed on said frame in said plane intermedlate and certain of said couples, said folding mechanisms being disposed between the third and fourth couples, and between the ninth, and tenth couples, and between the twelfth and thirteenth couples, and between the fifteenth and sixteenth couples, and between the eighteenth and nineteenth couples,and between the twenty-first and twenty-second couples, and between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth couples, and guide-rolls on said frame for directing the webs from said couples to the folding mechanisms" 4. A flexible-press for printing newspapers and the like, comprising a supporting frame thirty printing couples dis osed in spaced relation in a common rintlng level thereon .with their cylinders disposed transversely of and in a single line or row longitudinally of the frame in the printing level and, pairs of formers disposed onsaid frame intermediate certain of said couples, said pairs being disposed between the third and fourth cou les, and between the ninth and tenth coup es, and between the twelfth and thirteenth couples, and between the fifteenth and sixteenth couples, and between the eighteenth and nineteenth couples, and between the twenty-first and twenty-second couples, and between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth couples, and guide rolls on said frame, said guide rolls' and pairs of formers being constructed and arranged to direct the webs from certain of said couples to one or both of the formers of a pair or to one or both of said formers of said pairs.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

ROBERT R. MCCORMICK. 

